RYA launches racing rules webinars
by British Sailing Team 23 Apr 2020 13:57 BST
Alison Young - 2020 ILCA Laser Radial Women's Championship, Day 3 © Lloyd Images / British Sailing Team
The RYA will be hosting a series of free webinars for racing sailors and aspiring race officials to introduce and explain the racing rules of sailing.
Whether you are your club's rules expert, a squad sailor or just want to know a bit more, the six-week series will guide you through the racing rules to give you the best advantage on the race course.
The sessions will be delivered by some of the top names in the world of racing rules including British Sailing Team coach and strategist Mark Rushall, World Sailing Governance and Rules Consultant Jon Napier and Tokyo 2020 video umpire Chris Lindsay.
The webinars, which will be screened at 8pm every Wednesday starting from April 29, will help you understand the right of way rules, how to deal with marks, obstructions and more.
Each webinar will aim to be interactive, giving you the opportunity to get your questions answered, and will also be recorded for those who can't make the initial screening.
No camera or microphone is required to join - you can simply relax, view the slides and listen to the presenter as they explain each rule, and how they apply to real life scenarios. If you tune in live there will be the opportunity to ask the presenter your questions.
Sign up to attend the webinars here. The schedule is as follows:
About the presenters:
Chris Lindsay
Chris is an International Judge and Umpire who has been appointed by World Sailing to the Tokyo Olympics where he will be one of the first to take on the role of Video Officiating International Technical Official. He is currently one of the youngest IUs and IJs in the world and is also a member of the RYA's Racing Rules Committee and Judges & Umpires Committee where he takes the lead on umpire education.
Matt Goodbourn
Matt is one of the UKs top National Umpires. Since graduating from Durham University for whom he team raced, Matt has umpired at many of the UKs top events including the Wilson Trophy, the UKTRA Nationals and the BUSA Championship Finals. He was previously Honorary Treasurer and Technical Delegate for the BUSA Team Racing Championships and currently sits on the RYAs Judges and Umpires Performance & Appointments Group. When not umpiring, Matt regularly races onboard a J109 on the Solent.
Niall McLeod
Niall is the RYA's Racing Services Manager whose responsibilities include managing the RYA's work in regard to the Racing Rules of Sailing and Race Officials and acting as Secretary to the Racing Rules Committee. He is also an International Judge & International Umpire. When not officiating he races on IRC yachts in the Solent and back home in Scotland.
Chris Atkins
An International Umpire since 2001, an International Judge since 2009 and a former Vice President of World Sailing; Chris is a highly respected rules expert. He regularly officiates at the highest level across the whole breadth of the sport from Optimist Championships to the Volvo Ocean Race.
Mark Rushall
A world-renowned race strategist and Olympic coach, Mark is one of the lead coaches for rules expertise for the British Sailing Team and is a regular columnist in Yachts & Yachting where his articles on racing scenarios present the rules in a simple and easy to understand format. Mark is author of the best-selling RYA Tactics which has just been released as a third edition and he is also a member of the RYA Racing Rules Committee.
Jon Napier
Jon is currently World Sailing's Governance & Rules Consultant and is one of two International Technical Delegates responsible for overseeing and ensuring the fairness of the sailing competition at the Tokyo Olympics. He is one of the foremost International Judges & Umpires and regularly officiates at the highest level.